In the repair and rebuilding of engine components and engines, the engine components or engines may be cleaned in jet washers. Jet washers comprise a housing adapted to contain one or more engine components, and a plurality of nozzles are mounted in the housing and used to direct jets of caustic cleaning solution against the surface areas of the engine components being cleaned. The components are mounted on a rotating platform adapted to support the components such that jets of caustic solution can remove all the dirt, grease and oil from the engine components. The jet washers also include a tank or reservoir located below the washing chamber and housing a quantity of caustic cleaning solution. As the jet washers are used, grease and oil accumulates in the caustic solution, and metals such as chromium, cadmium and the like may also accumulate in the washing solution.
Because of the accumulations of oil, grease and dirt in the washing solution, the solution must be periodically discharged and replaced with a clean caustic washing solution. However, because of the accumulations of metals such as chrome and cadmium in the solution, it must be disposed of carefully and such disposal can be expensive.